Women told by 911 dispater no deputies avialable to help her; subsequently assaulted

So, apparently a woman called 911 because her ex was breaking down the door and was told by the dispatcher no one was available for dispatch. She was subsequently assaulted and raped by the ex.

I was a bit surprised that the article only goes on about why this means there should be higher taxes, but, for an article dealing with the US, nothing about how this could have been avoided if she'd owned a military pattern rifle, hollow point ammo, and a bayonet. Seeing as in this case she had plenty of warning the guy was coming.

It's like the story is almost begging you to ask why no mention of self-defense or weapons. With the amount of warning she had, it sounds like she probably didn't even need a firearm. Like, if she had a pitchfork or something, or a medieval weapon, she would have had enough time to find a corner to hide behind and skewer the guy as he got close. The thought crosses my mind of filling a super-soaker with bleach.

Hell, it sounds like she would have had time to prepare a brace of blackpowder pistols!

I dunno. A really weird article that basically seems to advocate for higher taxes as a better weapon than any of the above.

A terrified woman from Josephine County, Oregon, dialed 911 to report that her violent ex-boyfriend is trying to break into her home, but in response she was told that there are no officers on duty to help her.

The cash-strapped sheriff’s department in the county had been forced to lay off 23 of its 29 deputies after losing millions in federal aid. The remaining six officers had their shifts slashed to eight hours Monday through Friday.

Unfortunately for the woman faced with an out-of-control jilted lover, her 911 call came on a Saturday.

Eventually, the crazed man forced his way into the house, choked his former girlfriend and raped her without no one there to stop him.

The suspect, Michael Bellah, was later arrested and pleaded guilty to kidnapping, assault and sex abuse.

The details of her horrific ordeal last August emerged on Tuesday after voters in Josephine and Curry counties with the lowest property taxes in the state turned down tax increases that would have increased the number of officers on the force.

Even if the county residents were to approve the levy, which would have raised taxes from 59 cents to $1.48 per $1,000 of property value for the next three years, it would have been too late for one local woman.

At 4.58am on August 18, the Cave Junction resident called 911 to report an emergency.

‘My ex-boyfriend is trying to break into my house. I’m not letting him in but he’s like, tried to break down the door and he’s tried to break into one of the windows,’ the unnamed victim told the dispatcher.

The woman explained that her ex-boyfriend, Michael Bellah, had put her in the hospital just weeks prior, and she has been trying to keep him away.

Because the number of deputies at Josephine County’s Sheriff’s Department had been cut following the expiration of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act – a multimillion- dollar annual federal aid payment for timber-producing counties – the remaining officers were only available 8am to 4pm Monday through Friday.

Since the incident report came on a Saturday, the dispatcher transferred the call to the state police.

But the officer who picked up the phone at the Oregon State Police headquarters in Grants Pass that morning was not much help either, OPB.com reported.

‘Uh, I don’t have anybody to send out there. You know, obviously, if he comes inside the residence and assaults you, can you ask him to go away? Do you know if he’s intoxicated or anything?’ the officer, who identified himself as Ray, told the caller.

The woman explained that she has already asked Bellah to leave and warned him that she was going to call police, but that did nothing to stop him from trying to break down the door – something he had done in the past, according to the girlfriend.

The state police dispatcher stayed on the phone with the woman for more than 10 minutes, during which time she told the operator that there is already a warrant out for Bellah’s arrest.

‘Once again it’s unfortunate you guys don’t have any law enforcement out there,’ Ray the dispatcher could be heard telling the frightened woman.

‘Yeah, it doesn’t matter. If he gets in the house, I’m done,’ she says in reply.

According to police records, a few minutes later, Bellah used a piece of metal to pry open the front door.

He then proceeded to choke his former girlfriend before sexually assaulting her. Later that day, he was arrested by the state police.

Josephine County Sheriff Gil Gilbertson said that due to lack of funding , residents of the county are not guaranteed protection in case of an emergency simply because there are not enough deputies on hand to respond to every call.

‘There isn’t a day go by that we don’t have another victim,’ Gilbertson told NPR.

Through her attorney, the woman who made the 911 call in August said in a statement she felt hopeless, alone, and very scared on that day.

She said that the tax increase could have spared other people the nightmare she had to live through.

However, residents of Josephine County decided on Tuesday to reject the three-year levy to raise $9.1million a year by 51 per cent to 49 per cent, which would have increased their property taxes.

The county, population 83,000, is looking at further cuts that would leave just one sheriff’s deputy on patrol and an even smaller jail to hold suspects awaiting trial.

I'm not sure about the weapons angle or the self defence angle, bro. It appears the seemingly almost callous response is the entire issue in my mind. Fucking hell, why not just tell her they'll have someone as soon as possible but that she should fortify herself and at least inform her of her rights in self defence because that wouldn't be for a while. It's fucking insane to tell her, "um, no, we can't do anything for you". You're the goddamn police for ****'s sake.

But inviting the weapons debate? The obvious reply would be "escalation", and the hypothetical of "what if she" would then be countered with "what if he". What if he had a fucking rifle with a bayonet? What if she had one and he took it off her and used it on her? There's many more what ifs, some of which revolve around false accusations in a county that is known for not having immediate police response times.

I'm not sure about the weapons angle or the self defence angle, bro. It appears the seemingly almost callous response is the entire issue in my mind. Fucking hell, why not just tell her they'll have someone as soon as possible but that she should fortify herself and at least inform her of her rights in self defence because that wouldn't be for a while. It's fucking insane to tell her, "um, no, we can't do anything for you". You're the goddamn police for ****'s sake.

But inviting the weapons debate? The obvious reply would be "escalation", and the hypothetical of "what if she" would then be countered with "what if he". What if he had a fucking rifle with a bayonet? What if she had one and he took it off her and used it on her? There's many more what ifs, some of which revolve around false accusations in a county that is known for not having immediate police response times.

There was an article a month before concerning the same situation where the Sheriff of the county told his constituents that they could no longer respond in a timely manner. He advised them to invest in firearms.

I'm not sure about the weapons angle or the self defence angle, bro. It appears the seemingly almost callous response is the entire issue in my mind. Fucking hell, why not just tell her they'll have someone as soon as possible but that she should fortify herself and at least inform her of her rights in self defence because that wouldn't be for a while. It's fucking insane to tell her, "um, no, we can't do anything for you". You're the goddamn police for ****'s sake.

But inviting the weapons debate? The obvious reply would be "escalation", and the hypothetical of "what if she" would then be countered with "what if he". What if he had a fucking rifle with a bayonet? What if she had one and he took it off her and used it on her? There's many more what ifs, some of which revolve around false accusations in a county that is known for not having immediate police response times.

I have had that happen to me here at work. So I dont think it is as uncommon as you may think.

And as far as the guns defence thing goes. I agree with you but mostly because it would be a bit cheap to blame the victim for not fighting back effectivly enough.

personal responsibility to defend yourself but if the police cannot defend the society it is supposed to then that is what the police and the government needs to spend its time adressing.

Well, actually it is not the job of the police, to defend the society. People are responsible for their own defense. The police can't be everywhere, always. People have the right to bear arms. They have the right to defend themselves. This is the reason you can't sue the police when crime is done against you. The police do not have they duty to be their, prior to a crime being commited.

This is how is always goes when the budget starts getting cut. First parks and rec will be cut. Then fire and police. ****, half the fire departments are voluntary. But then people will bitch about it when heir house burns down or gets broken in. If you won't pay someone to do it, then don't bitch when no one shows up. In which case you better arm your self.

My father-in-law's home town in Pennsylvania doesn't even have a jail or police. But crime is pretty low there. You know why? A lot of vets, and everyone owns guns. The two main hang outs are the American Legion and the hunting club.

The call lasts more than 10 minutes; in it, the woman repeatedly asks for help. At one point, the dispatcher suggests she find somewhere to hide.

"Once again, it's unfortunate you guys don't have any law enforcement up there," the dispatcher says.

E911 is only as useful as the resources available. Depending on where you live, it is often physically impossible to put resources where they are needed quickly.

But if you don't fund public safety at all, you end up with the situation in Josephine County, OR.

Turns out that police in Josephine county are only on-duty Monday through Friday during normal business hours.

The 911 call from the OP is actually from August 2012. It recently became news again because Josephine County is one of the most bankrupt counties in Oregon and has twice voted down public safety taxes on local property; the most recent vote was last week.

The tax? About $100 per $100,000 of property would have funded public safety for three years.

Is it safe to say that it is landowners and not residents doing the voting?

Both, these are open ballet initiatives anyone registered to vote in that county can do so.

What's odd is that in the 2012 election, according to the levy document:

74 percent of Josephine County voters said that the current level of service provided by the county criminal justice system did not meet the needs of the community

So in typical fashion, they were all for it until they were asked to help pay for it and then they chose to do without police response weekday evenings and all weekend, saving a couple hundred dollars a year. Like DCS said, you get what you pay for.